Job Title: FRCPS Lead Family Support Specialist

FLSA Status: Full-Time/Salaried/Exempt

Reports To: CEO (temporary)

Location: Hybrid

Position Summary

The FRCPS Lead Family Support Specialist provides experienced, day-to-day program support for Growing Hope’s Family Resource Connection and Preservation Services (FRCPS) team. The position serves as a primary operational resource for Family Support Specialists and a routine point of contact for South Carolina Department of Social Services (SCDSS) partners, helping ensure that communication, service coordination, family engagement, and daily program operations remain responsive and consistent.

The Lead is expected to remain connected to direct practice but is not primarily a caseload-carrying position. Direct service family assignments will remain limited and flexible so the Lead has sufficient capacity to respond to team, family, DSS, and program needs as they arise.

The FRCPS Lead Family Support Specialist provides functional and operational leadership rather than formal personnel supervision. The Lead does not conduct performance evaluations, disciplinary action, formal performance management, individual staff development planning, or other responsibilities reserved for agency leadership.

Why This Role Matters

Rather than functioning as another full-caseload Family Support Specialist, the Lead serves as a flexible program resource who can step into the areas where additional support is most needed. This may include leading engagement strategies with counties we serve, helping engage a difficult-to-reach family, accompanying a staff member on a challenging home visit, providing temporary case coverage, locating a hard-to-find community resource, responding to a DSS question, helping a new employee navigate program procedures, or identifying a solution when normal processes are not working.

The position also strengthens continuity across the FRCPS program. By remaining closely connected to staff, families, and DSS partners, the Lead can identify recurring barriers, emerging resource needs, communication gaps, and opportunities to strengthen program operations before they become larger issues.

Key Responsibilities

Lead Caseload & Direct Family Support

• Maintain a small, intentionally limited caseload that allows the Lead to remain connected to direct family practice while preserving substantial capacity for lead responsibilities.
• Provide strength-based, family-centered services to assigned families consistent with FRCPS standards, DSS expectations, and Growing Hope policies.
• Conduct assessments, family service planning, resource coordination, parent education, case management, concrete support, progress monitoring, and other FRCPS services for assigned families.
• Maintain accurate and timely documentation for all direct services provided.
• Remain knowledgeable about the realities of frontline FRCPS practice through ongoing direct family contact, field involvement, case consultation, and staff support.

Protected Lead Capacity

The Lead’s reduced caseload is an intentional component of the position to preserve capacity for responsibilities such as:

• Staff and family backup and coverage.
• DSS communication and coordination.
• Referral management & case assignments.
• Case documentation review and approvals.
• Outreach and family engagement.
• Accompanying staff on visits when additional support is needed.
• New employee onboarding and field orientation.
• Community resource development.
• Case troubleshooting.
• Program coordination.
• Referral follow-up.
• Cross-program coordination.
• Responding to unexpected or time-sensitive program needs.

The Lead should not routinely absorb additional cases simply because caseload capacity appears available. Lead capacity is necessary for the position to fulfill its broader program responsibilities.

Backup, Coverage & Field Support

• Serve as a flexible backup resource when Family Support Specialists are unavailable because of leave, scheduling conflicts, urgent family needs, or other temporary circumstances.
• Provide short-term family contact or service continuity when needed to prevent gaps in support.
• Assist with urgent or time-sensitive follow-up when the assigned Family Support Specialist is unavailable.
• Accompany staff on visits involving challenging family dynamics, difficult engagement, unfamiliar circumstances, complex service coordination, or other situations where additional staff presence would support effective service delivery.
• Provide practical assistance during joint visits while allowing the assigned Family Support Specialist to remain the primary worker whenever appropriate.
• Be available to help staff prepare for challenging meetings, DSS meetings, court-related activities, or family conversations.
• Help coordinate temporary case coverage during staff vacancies, onboarding periods, extended leave, or other transitions.

Family Outreach & Engagement

• Support outreach efforts for newly referred families, difficult-to-reach families, or families who have disengaged from services.
• Assist Family Support Specialists with developing engagement strategies when traditional outreach methods have not been successful.
• Help troubleshoot barriers such as transportation, scheduling, distrust of systems, lack of understanding of the referral, competing family priorities, or previous negative service experiences.
• Support warm handoffs between DSS, Growing Hope staff, internal programs, and community providers.
• Identify patterns in unsuccessful referrals or engagement challenges and work with agency leadership to identify opportunities for improvement.

DSS Partnership & Day-to-Day Point of Contact

• Serve as a primary day-to-day point of contact for routine FRCPS communication with DSS partners.
• Develop responsive, professional relationships with DSS caseworkers, supervisors, and referral partners.
• Engage with county FRCPS leadership and staff to share about Growing Hope’s program and build strong referral partners.
• Assist with resolving routine communication or coordination issues between DSS and FRCPS staff.
• Participate in DSS meetings, referral discussions, case coordination meetings, community meetings, and other partner activities as appropriate.
• Monitor recurring DSS questions or concerns and identify issues that may require changes to internal processes, communication, or resources.

Team Resource & Day-to-Day Troubleshooting

• Serve as the FRCPS team’s accessible go-to resource for routine questions related to program operations and established practice.
• Help Family Support Specialists troubleshoot barriers involving family engagement, referrals, service coordination, resources, scheduling, DSS communication, documentation workflows, and other routine program challenges.
• Facilitate information-sharing across the team regarding resources, DSS updates, recurring challenges, procedural changes, and other relevant program information.
• Identify trends across staff questions or cases and bring them to agency leadership for broader consideration.

Community Resource Development

• Develop and maintain accessible resource guides, referral lists, community partner contacts, and other tools that help staff quickly connect families with support.
• Identify resources related to housing, utilities, food, transportation, childcare, parenting, employment, education, behavioral health, substance use, domestic violence, legal services, financial assistance, healthcare, youth programming, and other common family needs.
• Develop relationships with community organizations and service providers that may support FRCPS families.
• Help create practical family-facing materials that make community resources easier for families to understand and access.
• Support outreach to potential community partners and participate in community events, resource fairs, or other engagement opportunities when beneficial to the program.

Program Operations & Continuous Improvement

• Help identify day-to-day barriers affecting families, staff, DSS partners, or overall FRCPS operations.
• Serve as a connection between frontline practice and agency leadership by communicating patterns, recurring concerns, resource gaps, and operational challenges.
• Assist with development and refinement of program tools, templates, resource materials, checklists, workflows, and staff reference materials.
• Support implementation of approved process changes and help staff understand how those changes translate into day-to-day practice.
• Assist with special projects, outreach initiatives, community engagement, service coordination activities, and other program needs.
• Help identify opportunities for stronger collaboration between FRCPS and other Growing Hope programs.

Other

Perform all other duties as assigned to support the mission, growth, quality, compliance, and success of Growing Hope’s behavioral health services.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Social Work, Psychology, Human Services, or a related field (required) with 3+ years of relevant experience; OR
• Master’s degree in a related field with 1+ year of experience
• Prior experience in family preservation, child welfare, or case management (preferred).
• Strong understanding of child development, trauma-informed care, family systems, behavioral health, and community resources
• Effective group facilitation and case coordination skills
• Experience working across cultures and diverse populations
• Ability to work independently and manage multiple responsibilities
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Commitment to ethical practice, self-care, and professional development
• Valid driver's license, reliable transportation, and willingness to transport clients.
• Flexibility to work evenings and occasional weekends as needed.
• Licensure as required by state law (if applicable)
• Ability and willingness to carry a limited caseload or provide direct services as needed.

Knowledge & Skills

• Strong knowledge of child welfare, family preservation, trauma-informed care, family systems, child development, and community-based services.
• Strong skills in family engagement, case management, service planning, resource coordination, advocacy, documentation, and transition planning.
• Ability to troubleshoot routine case, engagement, resource, and workflow challenges and recognize when concerns require supervisory or leadership escalation.
• Ability to serve as a knowledgeable, approachable team resource while maintaining clear boundaries between lead support and formal supervision.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills and ability to build effective partnerships.
• Strong knowledge of community resources and ability to develop practical referral tools, outreach materials, and other supports for families and staff.
• Strong organizational and problem-solving skills, including the ability to balance a limited caseload with DSS coordination, staff support, outreach, backup coverage, and changing program priorities.
• Comfort using electronic records, Microsoft 365, shared tracking tools, and other technology used to support service delivery and program operations.
• Sound professional judgment, ethical decision-making, confidentiality, and appropriate professional boundaries.

Additional Requirements

• Valid driver’s license, reliable transportation, and willingness to transport children and families when required.
• Ability to travel within South Carolina for home visits, staff support, DSS and partner meetings, court, outreach, and other program needs.
• Flexibility to work evenings or occasional weekends and adjust priorities based on family, staffing, and program needs.
• Successful completion of required background, reference, driving, child welfare, and agency screenings.
• Commitment to confidentiality, mandated reporting, accurate documentation, ethical practice, and compliance with agency policies and contractual requirements.
• Ability to work independently, respond calmly to challenging situations, and maintain consistent communication with program leadership.
• Dedication to Growing Hope’s mission, values, and commitment to serving children and families with dignity, respect, and hope.

Salary Description

$54,000 - $58,000 depending on experience, licensure, supervisory qualifications, and program needs.

Location and Work Environment

Growing Hope provides child welfare, social services, and behavioral health support to children, youth, and families across South Carolina. Services may be delivered in homes, schools, community settings, program offices, or through approved telehealth platforms when appropriate.

This position is hybrid, with a combination of remote work, in-person meetings, community-based services, and travel based on program needs. The role requires flexibility, strong communication, and the ability to support a growing behavioral health program in a dynamic child welfare and Medicaid-funded environment.

This is not a traditional 9-to-5 position. The role must be available to respond to staff, family, program, and clinical needs that may arise outside standard business hours. The position offers the opportunity to provide direct clinical support while helping shape a growing program that serves children and families with compassion, quality, and accountability.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

Growing Hope is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to building a diverse team and strongly encourage applications from all backgrounds to apply. We do not discriminate based on race, religion, gender, age, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other protected status.

Physical Demands and Work Environment

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodation may be made to individuals with disabilities to perform these functions. Note: Neither this nor any other policy of the Agency creates a contractual commitment. This job description in no way states or implies that these are the only duties to be performed by the employee(s) of this position. All duties and responsibilities are essential functions and requirements and are subject to possible modification to reasonably accommodate individuals with disabilities. The requirements listed in this document are the minimum levels of knowledge, skills, or abilities. This document does not create an employment contract, implied or otherwise, other than an at-will relationship. The company is a drug-free workplace and complies with ADA regulations as applicable.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Social Work, Psychology, Human Services, or a related field (required) with 3+ years of relevant experience; OR
• Master’s degree in a related field with 1+ year of experience
• Prior experience in family preservation, child welfare, or case management (preferred).
• Strong understanding of child development, trauma-informed care, family systems, behavioral health, and community resources
• Effective group facilitation and case coordination skills
• Experience working across cultures and diverse populations
• Ability to work independently and manage multiple responsibilities
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Commitment to ethical practice, self-care, and professional development
• Valid driver's license, reliable transportation, and willingness to transport clients.
• Flexibility to work evenings and occasional weekends as needed.
• Licensure as required by state law (if applicable)
• Ability and willingness to carry a limited caseload or provide direct services as needed.
• Knowledge & Skills
• Strong knowledge of child welfare, family preservation, trauma-informed care, family systems, child development, and community-based services.
• Strong skills in family engagement, case management, service planning, resource coordination, advocacy, documentation, and transition planning.
• Ability to troubleshoot routine case, engagement, resource, and workflow challenges and recognize when concerns require supervisory or leadership escalation.
• Ability to serve as a knowledgeable, approachable team resource while maintaining clear boundaries between lead support and formal supervision.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills and ability to build effective partnerships.
• Strong knowledge of community resources and ability to develop practical referral tools, outreach materials, and other supports for families and staff.
• Strong organizational and problem-solving skills, including the ability to balance a limited caseload with DSS coordination, staff support, outreach, backup coverage, and changing program priorities.
• Comfort using electronic records, Microsoft 365, shared tracking tools, and other technology used to support service delivery and program operations.
• Sound professional judgment, ethical decision-making, confidentiality, and appropriate professional boundaries.

Additional Requirements

• Valid driver’s license, reliable transportation, and willingness to transport children and families when required.
• Ability to travel within South Carolina for home visits, staff support, DSS and partner meetings, court, outreach, and other program needs.
• Flexibility to work evenings or occasional weekends and adjust priorities based on family, staffing, and program needs.
• Successful completion of required background, reference, driving, child welfare, and agency screenings.
• Commitment to confidentiality, mandated reporting, accurate documentation, ethical practice, and compliance with agency policies and contractual requirements.
• Ability to work independently, respond calmly to challenging situations, and maintain consistent communication with program leadership.
• Dedication to Growing Hope’s mission, values, and commitment to serving children and families with dignity, respect, and hope.